Rating: 
Summary: Peak of the SG genre
Review: Having felt a little nonplussed with the way the ending of the first book of the Orphan Trilogy, "Echoes of Earth" I was bowled over by this sequel- absolutely brilliant from start to finish! Just when I think it is getting harder for SF writers to come up with something gripping and original, Williams and Dix have done it in this book. There are numerous plot twists throughout, and many, many, MANY great ideas and 'didn't think that would happen' twists. Probably the thing I liked best about this book though were the characters - they were real. Too many authors nowadays seem to have 'flawed' characters who obsess endlessly about their neuroses and you just want to smack some common sense into them. Instead, Williams and Dix have characters with some doozy of problems, and they way they deal with them are probably no different to the way the average person would deal with them. It makes it so much easier to relate to the characters! Having stuck with Williams and Dix through the Evergence series (felt a little rough around the edges, although still an extremely good and novel series) I am so glad to see this partnership seriously hitting its stride now. These guys are great and I look forward to reading the final book and any new stuff, especially as so many of my other favourite authors are not producing so much anymore... Thank goodness there are still some excellent SF writers popping up!
Rating:
Summary: Starships and Superscience
Review: How could I not like this book-- they name a starship after me! Williams and Dix write star-spanning, sense-of-wonder science fiction with a lot of cool stuff in it; exactly the kind of stuff I'm sucker for.
I suggest you start with _Echoes of Earth_ (to which this is a sequel), and then, assuming you enjoy that one, move on to _Orphans of Earth_.
Rating:
Summary: Starships and Superscience
Review: How could I not like this book-- they name a starship after me! Williams and Dix write star-spanning, sense-of-wonder science fiction with a lot of cool stuff in it; exactly the kind of stuff I'm sucker for.
I suggest you start with _Echoes of Earth_ (to which this is a sequel), and then, assuming you enjoy that one, move on to _Orphans of Earth_.
Rating:
Summary: The Plot Thickens
Review: Orphans of Earth is the second novel in this new series. In the previous novel, human civilization in the Solar System has been wiped out by the Starfish aliens and some human colonies were also destroyed. The only surviving full human, Caryl Hatzis, has joined Peter Alander's engram in warning the remaining human colonies in the path of the Spinners. In this novel, they acquire more FTL ships and start organizing the survivors. Caryl is secretly enhancing her engrams with intent to form another personality gestalt. Alander's only other known engram is destroyed. Alander joins the Hatzis engram from Thor in surveying systems in the Spinners path and discover a secret engram colony based on the personality of a project administrator, Frank Axford, who stole a colony ship and has since replicated his engram many times. Since the original was a army general officer and CIA administrator, Axford has a different attitude toward both sets of aliens and has uncovered a few techniques unknown to the other human colonies. Axford has also discovered that the anomalous ship settings are caused by a third set of aliens, the Yuhn/goel, and wants to ally with them against the Starfish. The Starfish have changed tactics somewhat, still attacking systems where FTL communicators are used, but now are also following up with random seaches of nearby systems. They are gradually sterilizing the whole volume of space in the Spinners path. All the human colonies are threatened. Will the Yuan become allies and help strike back against the Starfish? This novel continues to be as exciting and immediate as the first. Enjoy, but stay tuned for the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: The Plot Thickens
Review: Orphans of Earth is the second novel in this new series. In the previous novel, human civilization in the Solar System has been wiped out by the Starfish aliens and some human colonies were also destroyed. The only surviving full human, Caryl Hatzis, has joined Peter Alander's engram in warning the remaining human colonies in the path of the Spinners. In this novel, they acquire more FTL ships and start organizing the survivors. Caryl is secretly enhancing her engrams with intent to form another personality gestalt. Alander's only other known engram is destroyed. Alander joins the Hatzis engram from Thor in surveying systems in the Spinners path and discover a secret engram colony based on the personality of a project administrator, Frank Axford, who stole a colony ship and has since replicated his engram many times. Since the original was a army general officer and CIA administrator, Axford has a different attitude toward both sets of aliens and has uncovered a few techniques unknown to the other human colonies. Axford has also discovered that the anomalous ship settings are caused by a third set of aliens, the Yuhn/goel, and wants to ally with them against the Starfish. The Starfish have changed tactics somewhat, still attacking systems where FTL communicators are used, but now are also following up with random seaches of nearby systems. They are gradually sterilizing the whole volume of space in the Spinners path. All the human colonies are threatened. Will the Yuan become allies and help strike back against the Starfish? This novel continues to be as exciting and immediate as the first. Enjoy, but stay tuned for the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: One story that has it all . . .
Review: Orphans of Earth, the second in the Orphans Trilogy, has to be one of the finest novels I have ever read. With all the essential elements to make it so---mystery, suspense, intrigue and action---the only frown would be the long delay release of the trilogy's final book. An understanding of the first book, Echoes, is a prerequisite for Orphans. The vital questions of who the conquering Starfish and mysterious Spinner aliens are continues, spawning new ones as the plot complexifies. The addition of new characters like Axford, a military warhorse with his own agenda, and more engram explorers, only add to the dangerous game of survival for the few remnants of humanity. Then a third alien race comes into play, and the parley of further intrigue, potential allies, and creative mayhem deepens. The vicious Starfish are changing tactics in the systematic hunt for new victims; the engram community is showing signs of political and ideological division; and the inter-character relationships are as energetic as they are tense. But by far the best facet of Orphas are the "surprises" thrown into the plotline literally every score of pages. Just when the story is settling down, these devious authors add in a new element to the plot to gyrate everything anew. For a book that's heavy on scientific and astronomical lines, the writing has neither hard jargon nor heavy wordage that you would expect from one. The writing style is smooth and the pages flow easily one after another. And the final battle will have you alternatively holding your breath, grinning triumphantly---and in the book's true nature---suddenly frowning disbelief. There are some challenges to reading Orphans, though. As many character names are replicated, knowing who is who and where they are can be confusing at times. Another frustration are terms like merges, urges, senessence, conSense and certain acronyms that only get explained many pages after they appear, or even not at all. In all, Orphans of Earth, while heavy on intrigue and sporadic in action, is a book that is highly recommended for mature readers.
Rating:
Summary: rousing space opera
Review: The alien Spinners bestow gifts upon races far less technologically advanced than they are. These presents include a faster than light ship and ftl communication ability. The largess is soon considered a curse because shortly after they are used the Starfish arrive, hostile aliens who destroy entire solar systems, wherever beings that use the ftl communications exist. The Starfish destroy Earth and the rest of the solar system. Human colony planets, spread out throughout the known universe, are being destroyed and it looks like Homo sapiens will soon become an extinct species. Caryl Hatzis and human engram (an advanced simulation) Peter Alander are desperately trying to find a way to save what is left of mankind. They discover a third alien race, the Yvel, who have been trailing in the wake of the Spinners and the Starfish for twenty-five hundred years. They survive by staying behind their enemy but now Caryl and Peter want humanity and the Yvel to make a stand against the Starfish. ORPHANS OF EARTH is space opera at it's finest as Sean Williams and Shane Dix have created a rousing adventure starring alien races that seem so real and superior to mankind that it is no wonder there is no communication between the various species. Though the Yvel are alien also, they share the same needs as humans and make believable allies. It will be interesting to see what far away galaxy the next installment in this exciting series takes the reader to visit. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: rousing space opera
Review: The alien Spinners bestow gifts upon races far less technologically advanced than they are. These presents include a faster than light ship and ftl communication ability. The largess is soon considered a curse because shortly after they are used the Starfish arrive, hostile aliens who destroy entire solar systems, wherever beings that use the ftl communications exist. The Starfish destroy Earth and the rest of the solar system. Human colony planets, spread out throughout the known universe, are being destroyed and it looks like Homo sapiens will soon become an extinct species. Caryl Hatzis and human engram (an advanced simulation) Peter Alander are desperately trying to find a way to save what is left of mankind. They discover a third alien race, the Yvel, who have been trailing in the wake of the Spinners and the Starfish for twenty-five hundred years. They survive by staying behind their enemy but now Caryl and Peter want humanity and the Yvel to make a stand against the Starfish. ORPHANS OF EARTH is space opera at it's finest as Sean Williams and Shane Dix have created a rousing adventure starring alien races that seem so real and superior to mankind that it is no wonder there is no communication between the various species. Though the Yvel are alien also, they share the same needs as humans and make believable allies. It will be interesting to see what far away galaxy the next installment in this exciting series takes the reader to visit. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Dix and Williams deliver the goods again!!!
Review: The Evergence series blew me away. Then, Echoes of Earth came along and surprised me with a different yet still very captivating story, leaving me just as anxious for the next installment as I had been at the end of each Evergence book. Orphans raises the bar on the storyline and takes unexpected turns.
I am not going to talk about the specifics of the story (You can certainly get plenty from the previous reviews) I just want to share my feelings on how much I enjoyed it. Dix and Williams may be my favorite authors. The characters are a joy to spend time with. The interactions between them are fantastic and realistic and I found myself voiceing my own opinions out loud as if I were in the room with the characters and needed to add my 2 cents to their conversations. Anytime I can get pulled into a story like that, I know I have found masters of weaving a great story. The perils that our group of humans are faced with are quite troublesome and yet their curiosity (and mine) remains strong even when faced with the possibility of thier extinction. The worse part of this book was finishing it and knowing that I have to wait another year to conitnue the story. Fortunately, I knew that they were releasing a Star Wars trilogy (of which there is only about a month wait between books). I am about half way through the first of the Force Heretic series and the Dix/Williams style is shining through.
Now, if we can just convince them to bring us another trilogy in the Evergence Universe...I'd love to know more about the Dato Bloc and the High Humans!
If you haven't read the Evergence Series...buy them today! It's a rollercoaster ride you are sure to enjoy with an ending that caused great debate in my circle of readers.
Rating:
Summary: Dix and Williams deliver the goods again!!!
Review: The Evergence series blew me away. Then, Echoes of Earth came along and surprised me with a different yet still very captivating story, leaving me just as anxious for the next installment as I had been at the end of each Evergence book. Orphans raises the bar on the storyline and takes unexpected turns.
I am not going to talk about the specifics of the story (You can certainly get plenty from the previous reviews) I just want to share my feelings on how much I enjoyed it. Dix and Williams may be my favorite authors. The characters are a joy to spend time with. The interactions between them are fantastic and realistic and I found myself voiceing my own opinions out loud as if I were in the room with the characters and needed to add my 2 cents to their conversations. Anytime I can get pulled into a story like that, I know I have found masters of weaving a great story. The perils that our group of humans are faced with are quite troublesome and yet their curiosity (and mine) remains strong even when faced with the possibility of thier extinction. The worse part of this book was finishing it and knowing that I have to wait another year to conitnue the story. Fortunately, I knew that they were releasing a Star Wars trilogy (of which there is only about a month wait between books). I am about half way through the first of the Force Heretic series and the Dix/Williams style is shining through.
Now, if we can just convince them to bring us another trilogy in the Evergence Universe...I'd love to know more about the Dato Bloc and the High Humans!
If you haven't read the Evergence Series...buy them today! It's a rollercoaster ride you are sure to enjoy with an ending that caused great debate in my circle of readers.
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